Kings Island
Kings Island is an amusement park located in Mason, Ohio, not too far from the city of Cincinnati. Opened in 1972, Kings Island has been recognized as one of the most notable seasonal theme parks in the United States, and is home to several record breaking coasters, including The Beast and Banshee. History In 1972, a new amusement park was opened by Taft Broadcasting in Mason, Ohio to relocate several rides from existing park Coney Island, which was built near the Ohio River and prone to flooding. The new park was named Kings Island, taking its name from Coney Island and the nearby area of Kings Mills. Hosting a variety of rides and shows for all ages, Kings Island has drastically changed throughout the years. Originally, the park mascots were the animated characters of Hanna-Barbera, but this changed when Paramount bought the parks in 1992 and merged with Viacom in 1994 to implement Nickelodeon characters, as well as rides based on Paramount films such as Top Gun, The Italian Job: Stunt Track, and Tomb Raider: The Ride. The current owner of the park, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, acquired Kings Island and the remainder of Paramount's theme parks in 2006, and as a result, removed all movie themes from their rides, in addition to replacing the Nickelodeon-themed kids' area with the current Planet Snoopy, featuring characters from Charles Schulz's Peanuts comic strip. As of 2017, Kings Island has been entertaining guests for over forty-five years, and now features over fifteen roller coasters, multiple carnival rides, and various carnival games and live performance shows for all of its guests to enjoy. Layout Kings Island is split into nine sections, although only seven are officially recognized in park maps and on the park's official site. Each section is themed to a certain concept, with the scenery and restaurants also reflecting on the themes of the area. International Street International Street is the entrance area of the park. This area is themed to a small town, possibly to imply the beginning of an adventure. Most of this area features restaurants, gift shops, and restrooms, but there are also a few attractions as well: Attractions: * Eiffel Tower * Grand Carousel * Boo Blasters on Boo Hill Theaters: * Kings Island Theater * International Street Bandstand (Currently shows Peanuts Party in the Plaza) * International Showplace (Currently shows Amazing Dobermans) Former Attractions: * Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle (Replaced by Boo Blasters on Boo Hill) * Phantom Theater (Replaced by Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle) Gift Shops: * Lotzapalooza * I Love the 80's * Girl Space * Emporium * Peanuts Emporium * Sweet Spot Restaurants: * Skyline Chili * LaRosa's * Cinnabon * Starbucks * Graeter's Ice Cream * Auntie Anne's * Funnel Cakes Action Zone The Action Zone is home to many of the major thrill rides of the park. It is themed around thrillseeking and adventure, and features many rides to accompany this theme. The site of this area was previously home to Lion Country Safari and featured a monorail attraction where guests could observe various zoo animals. Attractions: * Banshee * The Bat * Drop Tower: Scream Zone * Delirium * Congo Falls * Invertigo * Xtreme Skyflyer Former Attractions: * Son of Beast (Replaced by Banshee) * Days of Thunder (Replaced by Banshee) * King Cobra * Screamin' Demon * Top Gun (Replaced by Flight Deck) * Flight Deck (Replaced by The Bat) * Face/Off (Replaced by Invertigo) * Drop Zone: Stunt Tower (Replaced by Drop Tower: Scream Zone) * Timberwolf Amphitheatre Gift Shops: * Coaster Connection Restaurants: * Ice Scream Zone Oktoberfest Named for the German festival of the same name, this area reflects on the heavy populace of German citizens in the Cincinnati area, and even sells beer at the Festhaus and Bier Garten. Attractions: * Adventure Express * Viking Fury * Sling Shot Former Attractions: * Remote Control Boats Theaters: * Festhaus (Currently shows Back to the 90's) Restaurants: * LaRosa's * Panda Express * Bier Garten * Hank's Burrito Shack (formerly Bubba Gump Shrimp Company) Coney Mall Themed to classic carnivals and named for the park's predecessor, Coney Island, this area features many classic themed rides, carnival games, and restaurants. Attractions: * The Racer * Vortex * Backlot Stunt Coaster * Dodgem * Scrambler * Zephyr * Shake, Rattle, and Roll * Windseeker * Dinosaurs Alive! Former Attractions: * The Italian Job: Stunt Track (Replaced by Backlot Stunt Coaster) * The Bat (Replaced by Vortex, name later used for Flight Deck in honor of this coaster) * Antique Cars (Replaced by The Italian Job: Stunt Track) Games: * 3-Point Challenge * Peach Basket * Ring Toss Gift Shops: * Attitudes * Coney Confections Restaurants: * Juke Box Diner (formerly known as Happy Days Diner) * Ralph's Ice Cream * Coney Refreshments * Potato Works X-Base Although officially recognized as part of Coney Mall, an overhead sign marks that this is a separate area themed to a top-secret military base. Aside from a few food stands, this area is only made up of two coasters. Attractions: * Flight of Fear * Firehawk Rivertown Rivertown is an area themed to an old-time small town, with most of its rides implying that is a ghost town, due to being themed around areas that were abandoned due to unusual circumstances, particularly as a result of a dangerous creature now inhabiting the property. Attractions: * The Beast * Diamondback * Mystic Timbers * White Water Canyon * Kings Island and Miami Valley Railroad Former Attractions: * The Crypt (Replaced by Madame Fatale's Cavern of Terror) * Tomb Raider: The Ride (Replaced by The Crypt) * Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal (Replaced by Tomb Raider: The Ride) Planet Snoopy Originally named Hanna-Barbera Land and themed to Hanna-Barbera cartoons, the family area of the park has changed themes numerous times, once to Nickelodeon's library of television shows under the name Nickelodeon Universe, and to its current theme of the Peanuts comic strips and TV specials by Charles Schulz. Attractions: * Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (Previously known as The Wild Thornberry's River Adventure and Kings Mills Log Flume) * Linus Launcher (Previously Danny Phantom's Phantom Flyers) * Woodstock Express (Previously known as Scooby-Doo, The Beastie, and Fairly Odd Coaster) * Charlie Brown's Wind-Up * The Great Pumpkin Coaster (Previously known as Little Bill's Giggle Coaster and Top Cat's Taxi Jam) * Flying Ace Aerial Chase (Previously known as Rugrats Runaway Reptar) * Surf Dog (Previously known as Avatar: The Last Airbender) * Linus' Beetle Bugs (Previously known as Swiper's Sweepers) * Snoopy's Junction (Previously known as La Adventura de Azul and Quick Draw's Railway) * The Kite Eating Tree (Previously known as Plankton's Plunge) * Snoopy VS The Red Baron (Previously known as Blue's Skidoo amd Dick Dastardly's Biplanes) * Woodstock's Whirly Birds Former Attractions: * Snoopy's Splash Dance (Replaced by Snoopy's Space Buggies and Woodstock Gliders, previously known as SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom Bash and Nickelodeon Green Slime Zone) * Scooby's Ghoster Coaster (Removed during the Nickelodeon Universe renovation) Gift Shops: * Snoopy Boutique Soak City International Street Eiffel Tower Grand Carousel Boo Blasters On Boo Hill Action Zone Delirium Drop Tower Invertigo The Bat Banshee Congo Falls Xtreme Skyflyer Oktoberfest Viking Fury Slingshot Adventure Express Coney Mall Racer Vortex Windseeker Dinosaurs Alive Scrambler Dodgem Monster Zephyr Shake Rattle & Roll Backlot Stunt Coaster X-Base Flight Of Fear Firehawk Rivertown Beast K. I. & M. V. R. R. White Water Canyon Diamondback Mystic Timbers Planet Snoopy Race For Your Life Charlie Brown Linus' Launcher Flying Ace Aerial Chase Sally's Sea Plane Joe Cool's Dodgem School Charlie Brown's Wind-Up Character Carousel Woodstock Whirlybirds Snoopy's Vs. Red Baron Snoopy's Splash Dance Peanuts 500 Peanuts Off-Road Rally Linus' Bettle Bugs Surf Dog Snoopy's Junction Kite Eating Tree Woodstock Express The Great Pumpkin Coaster